Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Photographer, Cesare Naldi won the National Geographic International Photography contest in December, 2009 for this image of a six ton elephant named Rajan. Taken in the Andaman Islands, a remote archipelago in the bay of Bengal, this 60 year old elephant learned to swim 40 years ago to help work for a logging company. When logging was banned in 2002, Rajan was kept by his sentimental wealthy owner.

Perched between his tusks, his Indian 'mahout" (handler and driver) enjoys a magical interlude.

A lion patrols the dry Nossob riverbed which is at the center of a vast refuge for big game. South Africa’s Kalahari Gemsbok National Park is joined by a fenceless border with Botswana’s larger Gemsbok National Park.

The two animal refuges are part of an African project that focuses on transnational parks allowing wildlife free rein in their natural ecosystem.

This dramatic image of a bull elephant was taken by Ben Osborne and is the winner of the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the year in 2007. This magnificent creature was captured on film as he kicked and sprayed mud in a waterhole in the Chobe National Park in Betswana.

Monday, May 30, 2011

This image was photographed on a path to Paradise at Mount Ranier in Washington state, USA and was taken by photographer Alexander Glass. Click on the image to view a larger version or to download the wallpaper.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Three eagles battle over a salmon in the sky above Homer, Alaska. This image was captured by Jose Hernandez and gained an Honorable Mention in the Nature Section of the National Geographic International Photography Contest 2008.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Photographer Birte Person captured this spectacular shot as this tiger did the closest thing possible to hunting at the Singapore Zoo. Many believe white tigers are albinos or a subspecies. This is not true. They are a "genetic hiccup", and occur naturally in one out of 10,000 tiger births.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Winner of the 2009 Wildlife Magazine Photo Contest, this image was taken in Northeast Colorado. Photographer Robert M. Palmer said "I noticed a group of eagles at a local cattle feedlot and saw them climbing up into the air and actually catching starlings and blackbirds. I think there may have been something wrong with the birds since this is not a usual prey item for eagle. The experience lasted one week, then the eagles left the area."

Monday, May 9, 2011

A dramatic image of a cheetah in full run. Cheetahs are the fastest moving land animal on the planet and can reach a speed of 45 miles per hour in just two seconds. At top speed they can run at a mind boggling 70 miles per hour! Click on the image to see the full sized image, suitable for use as a desktop wallpaper.

Polar Bears are among the largest carnivores in the world. They are highly dependent on the pack ice in the Arctic region. The World Conservation Union estimates their population at 20,000 to 25,000, worldwide.

Sadly, Leopards are in danger of becoming extinct. Not only are they victims of poaching, but their domain is shrinking due to the destruction of their natural habitats for the sake of construction and development.